That was by and large what Messrs Shakespeare & Franklin told us and needless to say we took them at face value.
Untangled, the saying basically means you may categorise Paris Hilton as God's unfinished project but there would always be colossal fatheads like Cristiano Ronaldo who would drool over her, even if momentarily.
Or take the vastly polarising act of spitting on others for instance.
While it's generally accepted as one of the five sureshot ways of incurring a black eye, the same act would endear you no end if the other guy happens to speak Maa, worship Engai and live in an Inkajijik somewhere in Masai Mara.
It's a matter of perception, we are told.
Now sample this:
In the dressing room they told me I was hitting the good balls too. But if you look at it my way I hit only the bad ones.
Don't allow the Team India bonhomie con you. Sehwag clearly doesn't see eye-to-eye with his teammates when it comes to the aesthetics of a delivery.
What his teammates perceive as good appears simply rotten to him.
He has redefined batting. Now Sehwag redefines beauty.
Let's get the saying right. Lack of beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
(P.S. Revisit the 7 tenets of Sehwag's batting)
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15 comments:
Given the number of 'bad' balls he hit, his benchmark of beauty is quite high, I must say :)
Namya, no doubt. And most bowlers who had to bowl at him would soon developt bench-mark, mark my words.
more than the bad balls the way he applied himself in first hr of two consecutive test innings... is ominous sign for bowlers all over world...
SP, I don't want Viru to get any more cerebral. This far and no further please.
beauty can't be seen with tainted glasses
beauty lies beyond tainted glasses
Lack of beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
It is also time cricket developed an Indian narrative. Good writers, such as you, must step forward to enhance the depth of it.
Jayesh, welcome to Doosra. BTW, are you referring to the glasses that are now inseparable from Team India players?
Soulberry, I'm also for a distinct Indian narrative but I'm happy at doosra:)
Jayesh, when Sehwag plays like that, I feel like beauty lies beneath the tinted glass.
Beauty exists as a distinct fact separate from anything else that is going on in the larger world. Beauty lies both beyond and beneath the tainted glasses, only those who r wearing such glasses dont want to acknowledge the beauty outside there mental periphery although it exists even beneath there mental periphery. I have not seen a batsman combining power, precision, daring, artistry all into one. People with tainted glasses dont want to acknowledge it although they know very well beneath the tainted glasses that it is a beauty to watch the man in action. This could be due to there inability to shift/change loyalties or it is so overwhelming for them that they have not seen anything like this in the history of the game. So there standards of comparisons r with those of lesser ability who have already played the game.
Anonymous, will get back to as soon as I lay my hand on a Chinese-to-English dictionary:)
Jayesh, thanks for the elaboration. I feel like I have done a beautician course!:)
Dear Som
I am so happy to share my thoughts about a man who has now been driving me crazy since I saw his 1st few innings. He has also frustrated a few times when the expectations about him have risen sky high. I think if he learns to hook & delays his aggression by about 1/2 an hour he will just go beyond anyone's reach. I also feel he gels well with Gambhir. Sachin shud not force an opening stand with him. Just see the rise of the Indian team in the present decade it coincides with his arrival. The problem with describing Viru is in proper categorisation. In cricket we have categorised the highest scoring & the batsmen with the highest average as the best batsmen. I think that is not the only way of categorisation. There can be three ways -a) The Greatest Indian batsman- 1. Gavaskar 2.Tendulkar 3. Sehwag b) The Greatest Indian player - 1. Kapil Dev 2.Tendulkar & Sehwag and 3. Gavaskar c) The Greatest match winner- 1. Sehwag 2. Kapil Dev and 3.Gavaskar & Tendulkar. If u consider all the three categories together I think 1. Sehwag 2. Tendulkar & Kapil Dev and 3. Gavaskar. On the world stage Bradman is ahead of them all but Sehwag scores over him in destructive ability. He is greater than even Viv Richards- because Richards never scored such big innings at any time- moreover Sehwag does not lose focus as easily as Richards. Each of his fantastic innings leaves a lingering feeling for nearly 3-4 days. I can tell u India will be winning the next world cup
Jayesh, can't agree more on a number of your thoughts including:
1. If Sehwag delays his aggression by about 1/2 an hour he will just go beyond anyone's reach.
2. Sachin should not force an opening stand with him.
It takes guts to say the 2nd one.
Only thing I'm rather pained is that you have omitted Anil Kumble in the match-winner's list. Statistics show he is India's greatest match-winner.
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